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Illegal disposal of toxic waste has become an issue of concern in both developing and developed countries. Recent anecdotal evidence has highlighted that hazardous waste is shipped from developed countries and illegally dumped in Africa, in particular in the area of the Horn of Africa, during road construction works. The potential health and economic consequences on the local population are devastating. Illegal disposal of toxic waste has become an issue of concern in both developing and developed countries. Recent anecdotal evidence has highlighted that hazardous waste is shipped from developed countries and illegally dumped in Africa, in particular in the area of the Horn of Africa, during road construction works. The potential health and economic consequences on the local population are devastating.

In this seminar, Caterina Gennaioli (along with Gaia Narciso, Trinity College Dublin) uses extensive data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and GPS data to analyse the relationship between recently-built roads and the health status of households. They disentangle the effect of common road pollution from the effect of hazardous waste by focusing on specific health measures which the medical literature has linked to toxic waste exposure: infant mortality, severe anaemia and a person's haemoglobin level.

The results both from cross sectional and panel data analysis are striking: an additional road within 5 km increases the probability that an average mother experiences an infant death by 2.1%. In addition children under five, living near a recently built road show a lower level of haemoglobin and are more likely to suffer of severe anaemia. The results are strong and significant only along two main routes which connect landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti and Somalia. These results support the existing anecdotal evidence that it is along these routes that toxic waste is entering in the Horn of Africa.

*The CGD Europe Seminars bring some of the world's leading development scholars to discuss their new research and ideas. The presentations aim to meet an academic standard of quality, are at times technical, and retain a focus on a mixed audience of researchers and policymakers.